The Capgras Project
by Kiyuzanova
Summary: Post Stormbreaker, Scorpia take a premature interest in Alex Rider. But it's not because of his talent, and not for his skill: it's for his eligibility in Project E26O6. And E26O6 is no ordinary project; it holds ties to both Alex's past and future. AU.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **I know. I'm a bad person for starting another fic. Especially one so out there...I hope I pull this off.

I advise you to consider this story _completely AU_. It's set post-Stormbreaker, but, well...you'll see. Eventually.

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><p><strong>The Capgras Project<br>**by Kiyuzanova

**0.  
>Prologue<strong>

"Hello?"

"_I'm looking for Rider."_

"This is Rider...wait, John, is that you?"

"_Unfortunately? Yes. What's up?"_

"You—you; don't just call and say 'What's up?'! They said you were dead!"

"_And you honestly believed that?"_

"...No, not exactly. But you didn't have to take three years before you called me back."

"_Sorry. Got into some, ah, sticky situations. What'd they say?"_

"The official explanation? Aeroplane accident."

"_It's always a plane. That, or a car crash."_

"Not true; Hall used a shipwreck and Fitz had a shootout."

"_Technicalities, technicalities. So, anything happen on your end?"_

"Not much. The bank's getting busy now and seems to be having more clients. But I bet you don't care, since —if I know you— you're in Hawaii or something."

"_Africa. We're going to Sweden in a week or so."_

"Right."

"_So, how are the girls lately?"_

"I could say the same of you. How's Helen?"

"_Helen's doing wonderfully. You know, we have a son now."_

"Smooth. Name?"

"_Alex. Helen named him."_

"And you just agreed, like that?"

"_Please, give me more credit. Alex is a perfectly good name."_

"Right. She probably stared at you for one hour until you gave in."

"_Half! Ian, have more faith in me!"_

"Not in you, in Helen."

"_Hey, you can't talk to your brother like that!"_

"But legally, you're dead."

...

"_Look, I've got to go."_

"Alright. If you ever get the chance, call me."

"_Will do. Ciao."_

...

BEEP.

CONVERSATION RECORDED. JANUARY 25, 4:28 PM.

...

ARE YOU SURE YOU WISH TO DELETE THIS RECORDING?

...

CONVERSATION DELETED.


	2. Project E26O6

**A/N: **Mandatory disclaimer time: I have not been to Europe or the Americas in my entire life ever so facts are probably wrong. Or Africa. Yay.  
>(...what, you thought I was going to say I didn't own AR? That disclaimer's not even mandatory.)<p>

Didn't mention this last time due to chapter length, but massive thanks to **Crimson Cupcake** for being such a wonderful target for bouncing ideas off. She's also my beta~ :D

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><p><strong>The Capgras Project<br>**by Kiyuzanova

**1.  
><strong>**Project E26O6**

The city of Venice, in the past millennia, had always been known for its rich trade. Its strategic location at the edge of the Italian coast allowed Western Europe and the world to trade with greater ease. In fact, during the thirteenth century, Venice had easily become the most prosperous city in all of Europe. Commerce had gotten to the point in which war became just another medium, as the city had once produced large numbers of mercenaries for paid service elsewhere.

Though the present income from trade has dwindled in comparison, Venice made up for it in its other most important commodity: tourism.

This is shown very clearly during the day. Swarms of people move around to view the sights, amidst the stink of the canals if it were in summer. But during the night, the city is relatively quiet. Later, the low-lit streets and chilly breezes speak well of Venice's status as one of the most romantic cities in the world. There is far less crowding, as tour groups would have left for cheaper hotels on the mainland and day-trippers would have returned to their places of stay.

This calm and quiet benefited the romantics, and the owner of _Les Gémeaux_; The Gemini. With classic brick walls and distinct Venetian features, the building looked to be like any other. However, the bricks were half as thick as normal. They were only an illusion as the building was supported by a steel and concrete frame. There were no such deceptions from the interior, as it was kept modern with a traditional flair. Both inside and out, Guards armed with Steyr AUG assault rifles took rounds in seemingly random routes.

There were less than twenty people within the building, and none of them liked to be disturbed.

Twelve of them sat around a table. Each of them didn't look as if they would have known each other, their backgrounds reaching from far and wide. The only thing that could have tied them together would be their expensive clothing. In fact, the table they sat around was an antique, and would have cost more than an average Venetian's salary alone.

But these twelve people made up the executive board of SCORPIA. Sabotage, Corruption, Intelligence and Assassination. They were all ex-intelligence operatives who had anticipated the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Their talents, they'd thought, could have been better put to use earning money in the underworld.

For each of their operations, the Scorpia board chose a head by rotating through each of the executives. Project E26O6 was Jean Picoq's turn.

Picoq had dark hair and a slightly long, clean-shaven face. His eyebrows were sharp and defined. He once worked for France's former external intelligence agency, the External Documentation and Counter-Espionage Service. During the First Indochina War there had been allegations that their covert operations were funded by the drugs from the French Connection.

He'd also seen the value of Venice, much like many others of the board, and made plans for building. _Les Gémeaux_ was not Italian in name after all.

"How goes the project?" Picoq questioned in English, the mutually decided language playing upon his imperfect French tones. He had trouble creating the proper nasal sounds of his native tongue since his nose was out of line. It had been broken during his early twenties through an accident by his best friend of the time and never properly healed.

That best friend had now been dead for ten years.

"It is proceeding according to plan," Mikato said. Scorpia normally took on short-term assignments, ones they termed with the word 'Operation'. Project E26O6 was different. It was a long-term plan, and thus had been assigned to in a rotation of two executives. The Japanese man was Picoq's current co-leader, and the two were set to move in the next year. "C-14 currently ranges from 160 to 172. Our C-7 to C-9 units are also faring reasonably well. Since our last discussion, C-5 seems to have developed according to plan."

Picoq nodded. "Nobody has anything else to report?"

"I would like to propose," Julia Rothman said, the smallest hint of a Welsh accent discernable in her voice, "If we wish to begin experimentation on deployment, it is possible to begin now."

"You have a target?" the Australian asked.

Rothman leant forward and steepled slim, manicured fingers. "As you are aware, our last commission ended with our client in an...uncomfortable situation."

None of the executives reacted. They all knew of Herod Sayle's commission for the deadly R-5 virus. They had all gotten the report about their client's fall, as well as having seen the news broadcasted around the world. They were not concerned; the virus would not be traced back to them. All those outside the room who knew of it without the proper authorization were no longer alive.

Rothman continued.

"Upon Sayle's request, we provided one of our people to help ensure his operation would perform smoothly."

"Scorpia didn't fail," Levi Kroll defended, unnecessarily. The Israeli man had always been both blunt and rash. He also happened to be one of the most intellectual. "Gregorovich was only Sayle's backup. He had no obligation to put his life on the line."

"Exactly," Rothman said. "It had been from Sayle's own mistakes. He induced his own downfall. But, let us presume that it wasn't through his carelessness in which he failed."

A small Chinese man frowned, almost imperceptibly. "You blame this through our people?"

"I blame no one, Dr. Three." Rothman smiled. "I simply raise the possibility of an external factor. You know that MI6 had found Sayle suspicious. What you don't know is that they had sent Ian Rider into the facility to find out."

"John Rider's brother?" Picoq asked. "How is he important?"

"He isn't; let me finish." Shaking her hair out, Rothman kept careful eye contact with each member of the board. She'd gotten their attention, and now she just had to achieve her goal. "Without doubt, Gregorovich identified Ian Rider and eliminated him without trouble. That would be something expected from one of the best assassins in the world. Spies leave telltale marks, and only the experienced know how to adapt to being discovered, after all.

"Gregorovich surely knew that elimination was both rash and foolhardy. At the time it would have been a fatal error. There is nothing like gunfire when it comes to alerting MI6 on suspicious activity." Here she paused and raised a hand to cut off any remarks. Rothman amended her words. "That is to say, our operatives know better. I have been informed that it had been a direct instruction from Sayle. Records have also been shown which support that, so do not fret.

"But what I wish to draw your attention to is the replacement. They did not send in a female agent or even another male 'security guard'. If it were not in Gregorovich's report, I would not have questioned it further, but the agent they used was a teenage boy. John Rider's son; Alex Rider."

"He's just some inexperienced kid," the Australian scoffed. "Don't let your association with Traitor Rider interfere." It went without speaking that he referred to Rothman's romantic history.

"This is irrelevant to my past," she snapped, but continued anyway. "MI6 used Sayle's own publicity campaign against him, when he wanted a teenager to stroke his ego. Gregorovich took him lightly, thinking he was no threat. Sayle was left to clean his own mistakes. He even used that pet of his. That oversized Portuguese Man o' War.

"What is important to note is that Alex Rider survived all of these instances. He has skill, he has determination and he thinks quickly on his feet. These are all qualities that Scorpia look for in their recruits. And we are at the forefront of intelligence analysis."

Mikato frowned. "I do not understand."

"I do," Max Grendel muttered.

"Would you explain for the rest of us?" Mikato's words were not said as a question.

Something undecipherable flickered in Grendel's eyes. They all knew of the Brit's wavering mentality towards Scorpia. But he elaborated after Rothman glanced at him in interest.

"Scorpia's recruition standards are above those of intelligence agencies. But the fact remains that the quota we seek is still the same. It is reasonable to assume that despite their reluctance to use an underaged agent, MI6 will recruit him formally once he is of age."

Here he stopped, and Rothman nodded. "Exactly. This would provide us with an opportune target for the project. I believe that if we act early with Alex Rider's potential in mind, we will be able to achieve our aims. And furthermore, with our specialized training, who is to say that he will not become one of the best and most successful agents MI6 will have? With a phenomenal success rate, other agencies will also have a need for him. And none of them will know that he is a part of our plan."

"That is a very reasonable proposition," Picoq said. "This, furthermore, will help us to determine if there are mistakes in the project before its launch. If there are any. I find myself in favour of this proposition. Are we all unanimous on implementing E26O6 at this stage?"

There were a few murmurs as each member of the board made their decision. But no hands were raised, and no protests were made.

Rothman was smiling when Picoq finally nodded.

"Very well," he stated. "Implementation will begin as previously discussed. Inform the units. Set surveillance on Alex Rider at all times. It is time for Project E26O6 to be put into action."


End file.
